Jim in Idaho

What a great day! Out with your son, and cool find, too. When I was in the Air Force, 50 years ago, I used to go to Huntington to body-surf. Great waves, but you'd slowly get pushed along the beach as you went in and out. Pretty soon it was a LONG walk back to the car. Brings back memories...Thanks! Jim

I wouldn't bother buying the 12DF. You should be covered for depth by the Hi-Q, and the 12DF is a beast to swing for very long, IMHO. Jim

Sorta looks like detector prices are dropping...probably due to the overall economy. Jim

I'm in complete agreement on the Signagraph display, Steve. Wish they had it on the GM24K. Jim

I can't advise, Jeff, but I sure like my DFX. There's a lot of iron in the desert soil where we've been detecting lately, and I'm keeping up with my buddy and his 'Nox. Certainly, there are places where he'd have some edge, but we haven't seen it yet. Jim

Quite a deal, Steve. Detectors are really getting cheap! I'd be all over that if I didn't have a GM24K. 🙂 Jim

They could also have applied for a "provisional" patent, which confers no legal protection. It simply locks in your date, so when you apply for a regular patent, the date is the date the Provisional was applied for. But, having the Provisional allows you to put "Patent Pending" on your products. A Provisional is only good for 1 year. A Provisional is cheap, and much easier to obtain. Jim

If Minelab has the patent, the way it works is public. When you apply for a patent you can request it not be made public, but only until the patent is issued. Once the patent takes effect, the application, including the operating theory, become public. Jim

The problem with this, I found out, after I bought one, is that it only turns the pot 1/2 turn. That does NOT give you the full range of ground balance. That is NOT going to work for me. What you want is a vernier that gives a full turn on the control shaft. Took me 3 hours, but I finally found one. here's the link: https://mgs4u.com/product/vernier-reduction-drive-14-inch-to-14-inch/?v=8c21c2bc4529 It doesn't look like it includes a knob, but that's easily solved. I'd take $20 for the one I bought in Karelian's pic...it cost me $35.00 Jim

Nice work, Steve! I think the resistors in that circuit are to prevent the coils "ringing" when the pulse turns off. Note both coils are wired in series, so the pulse fires them together. A folded mono is the same. You just take a larger diameter coil, and squeeze it together so it makes a figure-eight with one end half the size of the other. Make a half-twist at the juncture. Then you fold the small portion over on the large portion, and you have a folded mono. Electrically, they're pretty much the same. I don't know where they put the damping resistor on the FM. Jim

Good explanation, Steve. The engineers are now trying to get around the need for the DF by using spiral windings. But, it seems to me they're going to have the same sensitivity to ground minerals as the DF's. I agree the DF's are probably mono coils, though I guess you could make a DF concentric, though it would be complicated.:-) Jim

The inner and outer coils are wired in series on both coils, Rick. Not a huge difference between that and a folded coil. Reg Sniff developed the folded coil to get around White's patent on the DF. Pretty similar in performance, but in my experience the DF's have the edge in sensitivity.....especially the 7.5 over the 5 x 9 FM. I don't know if the DF's are mono coils, or not. Jim

All the best, Rick. Hope you find some good stuff. In my testing, not a great deal of difference between Sadie and 7.5DF. One does better on some targets, the other better on others. Very close. And, as you said, both a real pleasure to swing. Jim

I recover old bullets fairly often. I use the <Coins & Jewelry> program. Generally I use ground filter 3, and Preamp gain of 2 or 3. I use a 6 x 10 DD Eclipse coil, unless there's lots of iron trash. I also use the <Best Data>. Jim

Incredible find! What a transformation. Jim

I'll have to check with my source. Jim

I guess I forgot to post that we found out the business that gave out the token (Miller's Famous Bar & Resort) was located in Kansas City, MO. Not sure about the year. Appreciate the info, GB! Jim

Whites has never done the mod of changing the values of C20 & C21, Lonnie. The only Reg Sniff mod they started doing at the factory (possibly in 2015) was removing C56, and the diodes D20 & D21, and installing a jumper across two of D21's terminals. That's usually called the "second" Reg S. mod. The first, which resulted in a faster sweep speed while still being sensitive to small gold, was swapping C20 & C21, which are .47ufd caps, and installing .22ufd caps in their place. That mod is not too hard to do. The "second" mod is much more difficult, and requires some serious soldering skills, and a good soldering station, with adjustable temperature. That second mod results in better sensitivity. I'm not sure either makes much difference in beach detecting. Jim

I was thinking they probably used rubber. Ij told Chris it might make an interesting project, though with a 2hp Honda, and maybe more rigid paddles. Have to think about that.:-) Jim

Glad he pulled through, Strick. Where was he bitten? I have get Heidi a rattler shot every year, but I still worry about her. Mainly because she runs around, and would probably run right over one....LOL Jim

Hey Clark. Send me a pic of the underside of that broom, when you get a chance. A closeup, too. Thanks, Jim

It's a wheel kit for a power broom. The power broom is to move dirt off bedrock to get to the gold. Interesting use for a battery-powered broom. Jim

Clark, if you tell anybody I made that, I'll have to kill you...LOL I wanted it light, so made it all of aluminum, besides the wheels and axle. I ain't that great a steel welder, and I'm worse with aluminum, so the welds look like something Heidi left behind...Ha! But, it should work OK. I drilled an extra axle hole about 1 1/4" above the other. The upper hole is to use in the event you decide you'd like larger diameter wheels. Larger diameter is easier to roll over rough terrain. An 8" wheel, in the upper axle hole, keeps all the geometry the same. I think you'll like it, once you get used to the ugly welds...LOL Jim

Yup...gotta like that! Jim

Ya know, Clark, they're probably all a little skinny this time of year, after getting through the winter with no feeding. But they're probably also crabby.....LOL. I sure would be. PS...hope to finish the wheel kit today, or soon enough tomorrow to get it in the mail Jim